Elmhurst native Fred Lorenzen to be honored for NASCAR Hall of Fame induction

ELMHURST – After five years of rallying votes, Elmhurst's own Fearless Freddie Lorenzen has been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Chicagoland Speedway will be honoring him in their Legends Club on Saturday. Lorenzen's daughter, Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom, will honor her father, who is now limited by his health, during the unveiling of his photo in the race track's Legends Club, according to a news release.

Earning the nicknames “Fearless Freddie” and “Golden Boy,” Lorenzen recorded 26 wins in his NASCAR career and remains the only NASCAR driver to win 20 races in his first 100 starts. The Elmhurst native became the first driver to earn more than $100,000 in winnings in a single season, claiming $113,570 driving for the Holman-Moody team in 1963, the release said.

Lorenzen’s best overall season came in 1963 as he finished with six wins, 21 top fives and 23 top 10s in 29 starts. In 1965, he won two of NASCAR’s major events – the Daytona 500 and the World 600. Lorenzen is a member of more than one motorsports halls of fame, including the National Motorsports Press Association’s Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the release said.